Tuesday, January 27, 2015

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DropShopAndOil #CollectiveBias

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes when you take your car for an oil change? I'll be honest---I've usually left this "guy thing" up to my husband. He's the one who does the work or hires help for all the maintenance needed on our cars. Now and then, I'm the one who takes them in for whatever needs to be done---but I do not do so happily! Last night, he got to hang out with the Walmart crew while they serviced our car. He got some great photos for me, showing the process they go through in those few minutes it takes to perform the services at the Walmart Tire & Lube Express.

I've always felt a little intimidated when taking our cars to be worked on. It's just not a world I know much about and when the workers ask me questions like, "what kind of oil do you want put in this thing," I kind of freak out. After Jamie's experience last night, I don't think I'll be intimidated anymore. The employees at Walmart knew exactly what needed to be done---I'll show you in a minute.

Here's the great thing about having a Tire & Lube Express inside your Walmart. You can drop your car off to be serviced and you can go shopping! Why this never occurred to me, I have no idea. No more waiting in the waiting room feeling nervous that someone is going to ask me about my air filter.

While I'm trusting them to give my car what it needs to be happy, I can go do all the stuff that makes me happy! Hanging out shopping with Lynzie makes me happy.

So, here's what goes on a the Walmart Tire & Lube Express. Yep. They dress your kids up like Minions. Actually, these are the hat and safety glasses the employees had Jamie put on before he came back to the shop. Liam just had to try them on first---just to make sure they fit and all.

While Minion Liam hung out in the store with his older brother, the employees got to work on our car. They started out checking fluids. They filled our wiper fluid container with a winter mix that will help keep our windshield from icing up---if we'd ever get below 60º this winter. They also checked coolant levels, changed the air filter, adjusted the air pressure in our tires, and even vacuumed out the car and checked to make sure our lights and blinkers were working.

After that, it was time to drain the old oil out and put the new stuff in. The Walmart Tire & Lube Express uses Pennzoil. I remember my dad always buying Pennzoil when I was a kid, so I've always thought of it as a trusted brand. Pennzoil helps clean out the junk that lesser oils leave behind and is designed for total protection, allowing you to drive an extra of 550 miles each year compared to the mileage you'd get with a dirty engine.

Ok, here's the part that truly exposes my oil changing ignorance. Did you know that the type of oil you need is actually written on your oil cap! I know! Shocker! If, however, your oil cap does not provide you with this essential information, the Walmart crew has this handy reference book to figure it out. Seriously, that cuts out like 90% of the intimidation factor for me!

Jamie had them put in conventional oil (the yellow bottle). Fortified with Active Cleaning Agents™, it continuously prevents dirt and other contaminants from creating deposits in your engine that mess with the performance of your car.

Once they've determined the type and amount of oil for your car and begin filling, they watch the digital gauge on the oil pump to make sure it doesn't go over.

When the service is through, they put a sticker on the inside of your windshield, letting you know when to come back and have the oil changed again. Important notice about the sticker: you're supposed to read it...and actually bring your vehicle in when it says to. Just thought I'd throw that in there. It's not like we have actually had issues with this. Ahem.

In between oil changes, should you notice your oil is getting low, you can find Pennzoil on the shelf at Walmart and give your car a top-off on your own. The sticker on the inside of your windshield will let you know what kind of oil was last put in your car so you can make sure to buy the same thing. Pennzoil offers a free warranty that covers 15 engine parts that may need replaced due to engine wear or that suffer from abnormal wear because of friction.

So there you have it. There's no need to be intimidated by things I don't understand and, if I have Walmart do my oil changes, there's no reason to have my husband try to carve out the time to go get them done. I can just drop off my car and shop, shop, shop 'til they're done! Have you used the Walmart Tire & Lube Express? Tell me about your experience with the ease and convenience of this service in the comments below.

I used to go to Walmart for my car needs (we still do, often) but I have been in so many shops over the years (and especially the last 3-4 months). It is and can be so intimidating!! I hate when they ask me what I want. What I want is to leave and make Mike take a vacation day to have it all worked on. Lol Having said that, tomorrow I will be sitting in yet another shop with the truck. But very well said of Wal-Mart and their oil changes. When the kids were small it was better to go to Wal-Mart for oil changes because I could take them to the toy department to pass the time.

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